Having a website is great. Knowing how it performs is even better. That's exactly what the built-in statistics on your Springly platform are for, along with the insights you can access by setting up Google Analytics.
- Set up Google Analytics for your Springly website
- Understanding the statistics displayed
- Track the statistics available on your Springly platform
In July 2023, Universal Analytics was replaced by Google Analytics 4. This has a (minor) impact on both performance tracking tools covered in this article.
Set up Google Analytics for your Springly website
About this feature
When you connect Google Analytics to your platform, your Google Analytics account collects data about your website visitors.
This lets you see the number of visitors to your site and how they interact with it, directly from the Google Analytics interface.
Learn more: https://www.assoconnect.com/blog/articles/17374-google-analytics-le-guide-pour-les-associations/
Set up Google Analytics for the first time
Start by creating an account on Google Analytics if you don't have one yet. Otherwise, sign in to your existing account. Then complete the New account form: type (Website), account name, site name, URL, category, and time zone.
When entering your site URL, do not include "http://": copy and paste starting from "www" only.
Check or uncheck the data-sharing settings according to your preferences, then click "Get Tracking ID". Make a note of this code (in the format G-XXXXXX-XX).
Go to your Springly platform, navigate to Website > Settings and themes, scroll down the page, and click on Google Analytics.
For nonprofits that had Universal Analytics installed (before the switch to Google Analytics 4)
If you had set up Universal Analytics, that tracking code was deactivated on July 1, 2023. As a result, no new data appears after that date in your Google Analytics account.
To continue analyzing your web traffic without interruption, you need to add your new Google Analytics 4 account to your website settings.
How do I do that?
As of July 1, 2023, you can add the new Google Analytics 4 code to replace the Universal Analytics code:
- Generate your Google Analytics 4 code from your Google Analytics interface. Google provides a tutorial here;
- Go to your Springly platform, under Website > Settings and theme;
- At the bottom of the page, select the "Google Analytics" block;
- Copy and paste your Google Analytics 4 code into the dedicated field;
- Save!
Once saved, your old Universal Analytics code is replaced by the new one. That's it! Your web traffic will start being processed.
What happens if I add my Google Analytics 4 code late?
If you add your Google Analytics 4 code after July 1, you simply won't have any web traffic processed between July 1 and the moment you added the new code.
Definition of displayed statistics
We use Google Analytics to display traffic statistics directly on your Springly platform. Going through the Google Analytics interface (described above) is therefore not necessary if your needs are basic.
The statistics displayed in the General Stats and Website Stats tabs under Statistics are based on Google Analytics definitions. These definitions are available in Google Analytics Help.
Number of visits per month
The number of visits per month corresponds to the number of unique IP addresses that visited your site during the month. In other words, if a unique IP address (a person connecting via the same device, such as a PC) connects 3 times in a month on 3 different days, it will only be counted once, not 3 times.
Unique visits
The "Unique visits" statistic corresponds to the number of unique individuals (different IP addresses) who visited a website during a given period, regardless of the number of pages visited (or "page views").
Sessions
The "Sessions" statistic represents the number of visits initiated by all users of your website. Sessions are reset after 30 minutes of inactivity: in other words, if a visitor is inactive on your site for at least 30 minutes, any subsequent activity (new visit, page change, etc.) will be counted as a new session. However, if the same person leaves your site and returns within less than 30 minutes, it will be counted as a single session.
Tracking your website statistics from your Springly platform
General statistics - Visits & contacts
From Statistics > General Statistics, click the "Visits" tab. You can view visits (sessions and contacts) across your entire website.
By definition, the number of sessions will always be higher than the number of contacts, since one contact can generate multiple sessions.
Website statistics - Sessions & Unique Visits
From the Statistics > Website Stats page, you have access to more detail to view session or unique visit statistics between two dates. Scrolling down, you can see a breakdown by page (visits, unique visits, and average time per page).
The switch from Universal Analytics to Google Analytics 4 has a minor impact on statistics. Due to the technology migration, older statistics may not appear in the charts and tables mentioned above between late June and mid-July. A message alerts affected users of this expected, temporary behavior.
Note for platforms with advanced groups:
Monthly traffic statistics and statistics by page type are reserved for the main nonprofit. Advanced groups do not have access to these detailed statistics.
Going further: data differences between Universal Analytics and GA4
You may notice an increase in traffic after the switch in early July 2023.
This is normal because:
- 2 separate tracking tools can always show differences;
- Google Analytics 4 starts collecting data (anonymized traffic only: page views) before the end-user accepts cookie settings.
Going further:
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